WATERTOWN, Mass. – The Tufts Health Plan Foundation has awarded more than $250,000 in new funding to three Rhode Island-based organizations as part of its second cycle of funding for 2013.

Brown University in Providence received a $149,996 grant for its Healthy Aging Communities program, which aims to improve quality of life for Rhode Island older adults through nutrition education and healthier meal options and by enhancing mobility with a physical activity program. The program, which is managed by Brown University’s medical and public health schools, will be offered to residents at St. Elizabeth’s Community’s assisted living program.

Ocean State Center for Independent Living in Warwick received a $55,000 grant for its Home Sweet Accessible Home project, which aims to help older adults prevent falls and other accidental injuries and remain independent in their homes and the community through home modifications and adaptive equipment.

The Providence Center received a $52,211 grant for InShape Seniors, which aims to improve both physical and mental health in older adults who suffer from isolation.

In total, the foundation distributed nearly $3.5 million in grants to more than 75 Massachusetts and Rhode Island-based nonprofit organizations in 2013, bringing its total giving up to nearly $13 million since the foundation began focusing on healthy aging in 2009.

“By focusing our grant-making on healthy aging, we’ve been able to create a thoughtful pattern of giving that helps older adults in our communities live more meaningful lives,” said Jim Roosevelt, president of the Tufts Health Plan Foundation and CEO of Tufts Health Plan.

“We hope through the programs we fund, we can continue to make a real difference in the lives of older adults and in encouraging all of our society to see aging as an opportunity for healthy aging rather than aging as a way in which people are limited in their lives.”

Tufts Health Plan launched the Tufts Health Plan Foundation in 2008, aiming to promote healthy lifestyles and the delivery of quality care in local communities. With a focus on healthy aging, the foundation has given approximately $10 million to Massachusetts and Rhode Island nonprofits that elevate the physical, mental and emotional well-being of older adults and their caregivers.

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